Hank Azaria Addresses Complaints Of Racism About Apu In The Simpsons

A recent documentary premiered on TruTV called The Problem With Apu, in which comedian Hari Kondabolu looked at the character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon from the long-running hit animated TV series, The Simpsons, and how Apu perpetuates racist Indian stereotypes. The character, who owns Springfield’s Kwik-E-Mart, is voiced by Hank Azaria. Azaria spoke with TMZ about the documentary and his thoughts on the character.

He said: “I think the documentary made some really interesting points and gave us a lot to think about and we really are thinking about it. Definitely anybody that was hurt or offended by it, or by any character or vocal performance, it’s really upsetting that it was offensive or hurtful to anybody. I think it’s an important conversation worth having. We’re still thinking about it. It’s a lot to digest.”

When TMZ later asked Kondabolu how the character could change for the better, he replied: “He owns the Kwik-E-Mart corporation. He owns all the stores, and he employs a bunch of people and he’s the counter to Mr. Burns. Like, finally, there’s a change in power.”

You can watch videos of what Kondabolu and Azaria had to say about the ongoing show and the Apu character below.